DaySailer.org Forum

Now that I've got the boat in the water I'm REALLY going to bug everyone here with questions.

Next one in line: I noticed that with the mast hinge now in place, the jib sheet sometimes catches on the hinge as I tacked. I know this probably is one of the liabilities that comes with installing a mast hinge.

Has someone come up with a neat and tidy solution around this?

Thanks in advance,
Carlos

We made a mast bra...a small square piece of cloth which ties around the mast covering the hinge plate. It works !

Roger Livingston

This may not be the same thing Carlos but, on my boat I've got cleats on the mast and the jib sheets sometimes hang up there. If I time the luffing of the jib during tacks, no problem. If I'm too quick on the sheets and don't allow the jib to come over by itself... I'm sure you get the picture.
Banks Lake sounds good. This weekend we're headed to Lake Chelan. Sounds like a "sporting" forecast for Sunday!

Thanks for the advice, guys. both good suggestions.

You know, only having sailed this once, I didn't get to the point of being able to time the luffing of the jib to much of anything. Most of the time I was trying to time my foot from not catching in the sheets all over the place and tripping in the water! But I can see how it could work.

Carlos

Carlos
A couple of tips you may find useful.
First, with the front stay properly set up, I find that the front pin of the hinge is redundant, so I sail with nothing poked through that front part of the hinge. Obviously, if I'm going to do adjustments or work on the front stay, then I put the pin in and the mast doesn't come crashing down on my head, but for sailing, no pin so nothing to catch my sheets as they come whipping acros the front of the mast.
Second, when coming about, I tend to hold the upwind jib sheet long enough for it to back the sail, so that the wind ends up pushing my nose across through "irons", so by the time I'm pulling the sheets across, they really want to be out on the downwind side of the mast.
Hope this makes sense to you.
Fair winds and following seas.
Felix

Felix:

That does make sense. Thanks.

Carlos